Event Details

What will the class discuss?

Why are VBACs banned in one-half of American hospitals? What is the “immediately available” recommendation, how is it implemented into hospitals, and how does it impact access to VBAC? What are the factors for understanding obstetrical risk? What is the “VBAC double standard?” How do you tell the difference between birth myths, scare tactics, and informed consent?

Can a woman integrate both intuition and research into her decision making process? Or does incorporating the findings of research diminish the importance of a woman’s innate knowledge? Is your mom or partner worried about your decision to VBAC? Are your clients seeking accurate information? Can you speak intelligently on the risks and benefits of VBAC and repeat cesarean?

Over the course of five hours, “The Truth About VBAC” delivers an evidence-based review of interesting and hard to find information relative to post-cesarean birth options to parents, birth advocates, and medical professionals. It is jam packed with statistics, analysis, and recommendations directly from respected medical journals, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Topics Inculde:

Current VBAC Guidelines

Factors of Uterine Rupture

Maximize Your VBAC Odds

Hospital VBAC Strategies

Repeat Cesarean vs. VBAC

Maternal & Infant Outcomes

Why Some Hospitals Ban VBAC

Risks of Hospital vs. Out-of-Hospital VBAC

Understanding Informed Consent

What do people say about the class?

"Thank you Thank You THANK YOU! Jen, I just LOVED The Truth About VBAC Webinar we finished up today. I am definitely an advocate of following your intuition and trusting innate maternal wisdom, but knowing this information will help cast away those doubts about what moms' bodies are capable of. A cesarean is not the 'birth handicap' we are led to believe it is by the mainstream. I encourage all doulas and childbirth educators and VBAC seeking moms and partners to take this class, capture this information and use it to win support from your birth team. You can VBAC with confidence having the data to reference, and Jen did an amazing job putting it all together in a clear manner, looking at the issue from myriad perspectives. Bravo Jen . . . well done!" - Jenn D'Jammos, CCCE, Earth Mama Birth - Review of the November 2012 webinar

"Jen's VBAC Facts webinar is interesting, organized, and most importantly, evidence-based! Some of my favorite parts included the many charts Jen created, which illustrate statistics regarding Cesarean section and VBAC in the U.S. I'm a visual learner, and putting those numbers in perspective really made it click for me. This class would be a great fit for parents, educators, doulas, and any health professional working with mothers and babies. A fabulous educational opportunity!" - Lindsey Rupp, CD(DONA), CLS, PCD(DONA), Blissful Transition Doula Services

“I teach my clients and students that educating themselves is one of the most powerful paths to freedom. When it comes to birth—whether or not a woman is planning a VBAC–information is power. Jen Kamel has a masterful understanding of the research and she delivers it to mothers and birth workers in a clear, accessible, and applicable way. Thanks to Jen and www.VBACfacts.com this powerful body of knowledge can be used by all of us to cultivate the best possible birth experiences.” — Christy Diane Farr, Life Coach with Seeds and Weeds Coaching

“This class is all about the facts. It is low pressure. It gives you information from scientific journals that will help you make the best decision for you and your baby. At the end, you get to decide which set of risks you are willing to accept. It opened my husband’s eyes. Even though I’ve been telling him, he needed to hear the research and the numbers. Thank you!!!” — Mom seeking VBA2C

“Thanks for an outstanding class! It was very nice meeting you. Your hard work and dedicated research is incredibly impressive. Knowledge is Power, wish it would rub off on the whole OB community. I think the trend to eventually turn that direction for women’s choice of birth options will happen as more people put that kind of pressure on the issue. Bravo to you!” — Labor & Delivery Registered Nurse seeking VBA1C

“My husband and I certainly felt even more confident after the class. I would definitely recommend it to anyone considering a VBAC.” — A mom planning VBA1C

“Jen Kamel blew me away with the personable nature in which she delivered stats and figures. She clearly explained how women can use them to understand their options. I wish every person out there who feels strange when dealing with the numbers vs intuition question would take this class and get a good look at what the integration of the two looks like.” — Shannon Mitchell, Doula & Birth Advocate

“What an amazing and informative presentation!! Thank you so much for doing this ever-important work for birthing women!!! ” — Teresa Stire, PhDc, MA, student midwife, and VBA3C mom

Do I need to be pregnant to attend?

If you have had a cesarean and are considering your birth options, the best time to collect information is before you get pregnant. Then you have time to conduct your research and assemble your birth team without a due date looming. That said, it is never to late to learn.

But I live an hour away!

The average person who attends the in-person class drives 45 minutes one way. 21% drive between 1 – 2 hours and 18% drive over two hours the attend this class! Don’t let distance hold you back!

Is your goal to convince women to have a VBAC?

I had a wonderful VBAC with my son. It was the right choice for me. However, you may find that the right choice for you is a repeat cesarean and that is your decision to make with your body. The objective of the class is to make hard to find and interesting information relative to post-cesarean birth options easily accessible to the people who seek it, not to convince anyone to make a specific decision. This class is a respectful environment and as such, your choices will be respected. Learn more about my unique style of advocacy.

Refund policy

A full refund, minus a $25 processing fee will be provided upon request up until two weeks before any class begins. After that time, refunds will not be issued, though students may transfer their registration to another class. Once we are within 24 hours of a class beginning, no refunds or credit transfers will be permitted.

Disclaimer

VBACfacts.com (Website) and “The Truth About VBAC” classes (Class) are designed to share interesting and hard to find information on post-cesarean birth options.

Information is shared via the Website and Class with the understanding that Jennifer Kamel is not a medical professional and she is not qualified to provide medical advice. If medical advice is required, the services of a competent medical professional should be sought.

It is not the purpose of the Website or Class to provide all the information that is otherwise available, but instead to complement, amplify and supplement other texts. The Website and Class are not comprehensive resources and should not be used as such.

Every effort has been made to make the Website and Class as accurate as possible. However, there may be mistakes, both typographical and in content. Therefore, the Website and Class should be used only as a general guide and not as the ultimate source of birth after cesarean information. Furthermore, this Website and Class contains information on birth after cesarean that is current only up to the published date.

You are encouraged to perform your own research and analysis and together with your qualified care provider, make a medical decision appropriate for your individual situation. For more information, see the many resources listed in the bibliography.

The purpose of the Website and Class is to educate and entertain. The author shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any loss or damage caused, or alleged to have been caused, directly or indirectly, by the information contained in the Website or Class.

If you do not wish to be bound by the above, you may refrain from reading the website or attending the class.

When & Where

Granola Babies
3315 Hyland Avenue, Suite B Costa Mesa,
CA 92626

Saturday, January 19, 2013 from 11:30 AM to 4:30 PM (PST)

Organizer

Jennifer Kamel, VBAC Facts

About VBAC Facts

The mission of VBAC Facts is to close the gap between what the best practice guidelines from ACOG and the NIH say about VBAC and repeat cesarean and what people generally believe. While making information relative to post-cesarean birth options easily accessible to the people who seek it, VBAC Facts strives to create a deep understanding of “the why” by providing political and historical context of the current VBAC climate as well as medical and scientific context for understanding obstetrical risk and evaluating birth-related research. VBAC Facts is an advocate for accurate and fair information and does not promote a specific mode of delivery, type of health care professional, or birth location. Read more about this unique approach.

About Jennifer Kamel

When Jennifer Kamel, Founder/Director of VBAC Facts, had her cesarean in 2004 for single footling breech presentation, she had no idea how hard it would be to find fair, unbiased, and accurate information on post-cesarean birth options. With her professional history as a commercial real estate research manager performing demographic and geographic analysis for international, national, and local companies, she was accustomed to gathering information, analyzing it, and presenting her findings in everyday terms. After her cesarean, she directed her skill set to post-cesarean birth options. Upon her VBAC in 2007, she looked at the information she had acquired in light of all the misinformation and confusion that dominated many exchanges on the internet. VBAC Facts was born.